From the official NCAA site, we have a confirmation on Thursday’s game time.

I’ll take it over the 3:00 pm start that places like ESPN and Fox Sports had listed originally. Not sure why they would list what seems like a random time anyways.

We now what time our Panthers play on Thursday and we’ve managed to escape one of the daytime slots that cause tons of know what people to miss watching it.

Update: This is 8:30 central time. It is a 9:30-ish start on the east coast.

The unbalanced schedule throws team’s conference strength of schedule of of whack but we might be done with that starting with the 2006-07 season. I heard this mentioned by one of the play-by-play guys during Big East tournament coverage yesterday, but wasn’t sure if it was a done deal or just an idea. Well, some random newspaper from the middle of nowhere confirms the story.

A major change will boost the number of conference games from 16 to 18. Two years of an unbalanced schedule, where all schools did not play one another, generated many complaints.

“It’s not the best situation,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. “It’s not a league, it’s a corporation. It’s really two leagues.”

Marquette coach Tom Crean said the new schedule is going to be tougher, with more league games replacing breathers against the bottom tier of Division I schools.

So you play the other 15 Big East teams once plus an extra game against three of them which I have no problem with. We didn’t get to play Notre Dame this season and instead played a Florida A&M type team to fill out the schedule.

How many of you thought we were going to win yesterday’s game before tipoff? (Not me; my prediction was G’town 78 Pitt 68 but obviously the defenses made my score look bad points-wise.) So let’s not get too upset that we lost the game. Instead, we should be a little more concerned about what this all means going forward.

We’ve had our share of problems in the last 5 games or so. What we need ASAP is a game where we play very solidly for all 40 minutes. We’re going to be playing teams that need to win as much as we do though so we’re not going to be walking down easy street.

We also need to be strong up in New York City. It’s not imperative that we win the Big East Tournament — we’ve done that before and it doesn’t automatically put us past the Sweet Sixteen — but it’s not something the Panthers can just blow off. We can’t play like clowns for the rest of the regular season and in NYC and then expect to flip a switch going into the NCAA Tournament. As commenter Stuart said, “We can’t play bad down the stretch and then ‘turn it on’ in the tournament.”

But once again, don’t get too worked up. This wasn’t a game we could have expected to win anyways. We’re still a Top 25 team and looking at past years, we can see that right now any Top 25 team has a legit shot at the Final Four.

Other things from yesterday:

—As much as I hate to complain about refs, yesterday’s game caused me to scream at the TV more than I usually do. It seems like every foul called on Levance Fields was complete crap. To sum up yesterday’s calls, look at this picture (courtesy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

Levon Kendall being held by Roy Hibbert. I don’t know if this was a shot by Kendall (the PG caption says it was a drive to the basket) but if it was, it wasn’t called — Kendall shot 0 foul shots.

—Round of applause to Aaron Gray. He showed some big time guts yesterday buy playing the kind of minutes he did. Forget it that he was slower than ever, he’s committed to the team and wants to leave Pitt knowing he did whatever he could.

—Lastly, a little update on a few teams we saw back in December. Auburn upset 25th ranked Alabama yesterday while Florida State has a very good chance of making the field with an at-large bid. Does that brighten up your day at all? Probably not.

…and we’ll play two very tough games and one moderately tough game to finish out the Big East regular season.

Here’s what we’re looking at before the Big East Tournament:

Date — Opponent
2/24 — Georgetown
2/27 — West Virginia
3/3 — at Marquette

So let’s take a look at what’s on the schedule. The beginning of the end starts with a Georgetown team that is streaking and knocked Pitt off from the top of the B.E. Power Poll for the first time all year. The winner of Saturday’s game will not only be atop the power poll but will also likely be the #1 seed in the Big East Tournament.

To be honest, I don’t want Pitt to be the top seed because it means a noon tipoff up in NYC. In order for that to happen, we’d need to lose another game though; not a big fan of that option. A lose-lose situation — damn.

Back to this game though. A loss to Georgetown would make a ton of people uneasy. Actually, a sloppy game that we win will still make people a bit shifty. We need a solid game from every single player soon enough so that we can all calm down a bit. I’m not freaking out, just a little uneasy.

Then we host the Mountaineers and will avoid seeing this guy. Losing to them would be a big downer for a few reasons. First off, it’s WVU. West F#%&in Virginia. I hate losing to them and I’m sure you feel the same way. Losing to a team with an RPI below 50 doesn’t look too great and right now they sit at 53 according to ESPN but that could/will certainly change by next Tuesday. By the way, they aren’t a great team at home and the Zoo should have some fun with them.

Oh yeah, did I mention we really don’t want to lose just because they’re WVU?

To close out the regular season are the Marquette Dominic James’. They live and die by his shot which means depending on how the 2 1/2 weeks leading up to the game work out will determine this game’s importance. By that time we might have already wrapped up the reg. season title…or we could be fighting for the 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th spot. Either way, both teams will want to go into the conference tournament on a good note.

It should be a fun stretch before the greatest time of the year (gotta love filling out your brackets, don’t ya?). If I had to predict, I’d say we beat WVU and split with Georgetown/Marquette. After watching this Pitt team though it would be no surprise to see us run the table or go 1-2 (because we’re not losing to West Virginia).

Hey there, lots going on today. Spam commenting exploded for whatever reason today. Seems like I spent half the morning dealing with that. Cinci football may still be building itself to BCS level, but good news, they can be accused of sex, recruiting and possible videotape scandals like the big boys.

Pitt is unbeaten in conference road games so far this year. I’m torn about how good that should feel. Part of me was ready to denigrate it because it included Cinci, Seton Hall and DePaul. But when you consider that DePaul has knocked off ND, Marquette and Kansas at home, that win looks pretty good. Even in a down year, beating Syracuse on the road is pretty good. Villanova was a nice win, and doing the Hoopies at the concrete toadstool always is a strong statement.

In a season where no one seems to win on the road very much, no matter what conference, this is impressive. Or as fellow fanhouse bloogger MJD (who is also the weekend editor at Deadspin) put it, “I don’t care who you are, in what conference … that is manly. It speaks to Pitt’s veteran leadership, and their ability to play a number of different styles.”

Of course, all that positive feelings about how Pitt did on the road can go right out the window if Pitt doesn’t at least get a  split in the final 2 road games.

Georgetown has a road game tonight at Cinci, so there isn’t much hype yet for the Saturday, 2pm CBS game. One thing is certain, Pitt will see more of DaJuan Summers then they did back in January.

Georgetown has been on a roll since Summers picked up on some of the Princeton-influenced nuances in the half-court offense and bought in to the urging of coach John Thompson III that he could be a defensive stopper.

Summers played a total of 44 minutes in Georgetown’s first three games. In Saturday’s win at Villanova, he was on the floor for 35. Nearly a 40 percent shooter from three-point range until he missed all four of his long-distance attempts in Philadelphia, Summers was nonetheless clutch at the free-throw line, where he made seven of eight, and he blocked a career-high four shots.

…

In Big East games, Summers is averaging 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and nearly 30 minutes. He defends bigs and smalls – see the clamps he put on Towson’s Gary Neal in December, and the possessions during which he checked 6-2 Scottie Reynolds at Villanova.

Summers may not have the numbers to crack the Big East All-Rookie team in this season of the freshman, but if Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Brandan Wright and Chase Budinger all take the money and run, he would be among the best sophomores in the nation next season.

In the G-town-Pitt game last month (PDF), Summers only played 21 minutes and scored only 4 points (1-5) and had 1 rebound.

I realize Pitt has played plenty of easy teams in the non-con in recent years. And that getting 20+ wins is no longer as hard as it used to be. Still, congratulations are in order for Coach Dixon in getting 100 wins and only 26 losses in just 4 seasons.

I know there is still a good amount of mixed feelings about Dixon, but there is a reason that he is considered one of the best young coaches out there right now. The only recruits left on this team that could be considered “Howland recruits” are Gray and Kendall, but they never played for him.

I agree Dixon is still learning some things — particularly with late game situations and putting a team away, but I also don’t see anyone doing a better job with this team over the past 4 years.

Dixon has been building this program as he keeps improving the recruiting. He has worked to improve the profile of the program in the community. The work he has been doing to develop and grow local basketball through the summer league and things like that. I don’t think that can be underestimated. It is the sort of thing that will pay dividends for years later for Pitt.  It’s a longview approach to helping Pitt improve the local basketball and recruiting base.

So, why does it seem to be begging for the game to be completely perimeter based instead. It’s not just the Pittsburgh papers trumpeting the inside game.

But the team that visits the Petersen Events Center this afternoon might own the best frontcourt tandem the Panthers have faced. Washington freshman center Spencer Hawes and sophomore forward Jon Brockman provide a 1-2 punch that has been hard for opposing teams to stop.

“I haven’t seen too many teams with two post guys who can score and rebound the way these two do,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “They’re very productive. They’re relentless. You’re talking about two kids everyone in the country wanted.”

The 6-foot-11 Hawes is the most-heralded basketball recruit in Washington history and made news when he chose the Huskies over North Carolina last year. He is leading Washington in scoring with 15.1 points per game and has scored 20 or more points seven times.

Brockman, a 6-7 power forward, had been Washington’s most heralded recruit until Hawes arrived. Brockman, who chose Washington over Duke, is second on the team behind Hawes in scoring (14.1 ppg) but is a tenacious rebounder in the mold of Chevon Troutman and averages 9.7 boards per game.

They will be going heads up against what is widely perceived to be the top frontcourt in the Big East Conference in Pitt center Aaron Gray and power forward Levon Kendall. The showdown between Gray and Hawes will be of particular interest, and 20 NBA scouts will watch the projected lottery players.

The Washington papers also expect the inside game to be the story.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said UW center Spencer Hawes of his matchup against Gray, a 7-foot senior center for the Panthers who is regarded as a possible NBA lottery pick in June. “It’s always fun to go up against the best.”

In the loss to Washington State, Washington had trouble finding Hawes inside. In the final 5:33 of a 4-point loss, Hawes never touched the ball on the offensive end. This was surprising, not just because Hawes had 22 points in the game, but UW has been struggling with their perimeter and outside shooting. Their guard play has been less then spectacular despite being highly heralded recruits.

The bad news, though, is that there’s very little offense coming from anywhere else. Ryan Appleby is averaging almost 10 points in his past seven games, but is shooting just 38 percent. Justin Dentmon is 2-for-16 the past two games, and the three freshmen other than Hawes have completely fallen apart. Quincy Pondexter, who led the team in scoring in non-conference games, hasn’t reached double figures in seven straight games, averaging 5.9 points in that time. Adrian Oliver has reached double figures only once in Pac-10 games, and that was 10 games ago. Phil Nelson has one double-figure game in the past 11, going scoreless five times, including the past three.

A little different from the way they were played up in the ‘Burgh papers.

So, no. Don’t expect to see a press and zone like Louisville.

“Teams can try to switch up game plans to try to play more press against us,” Gray said. “But this is what Louisville does. Other teams, they can go away from what they do to try to press us, but it might not work out. And I’m sure it will be an emphasis for us from now on.

“So, I really don’t foresee (a game) like this happening to us again. … It’s just something that we’re going to have to get better at, because teams probably are going to play it more often down the road in the Big East Tournament and NCAAs. And we’ll definitely be ready for it.”

They better. Pitt doesn’t want to be the first top-10 road win for UW since 1974 (they beat Kansas).

Washington is a different breed of dog for Pitt. Even if the match-up isn’t as big as initially envisioned, it is still an interesting thing when teams come from over 2000 miles away for a game.

The Huskies (16-9, 6-8) have stockpiled some terrific young talent. Unfortunately for them, they’re walking into the Panthers’ den after Pitt was stunned at home 66-53 by Louisville. It will be interesting to watch 7-foot senior center Aaron Gray against former five-star prospect Spencer Hawes, who leads Washington in scoring as a freshman.

Hawes has had a rough year, dealing with some injuries.

Life on the trail can be difficult for young Huskies. Washington freshman center Spencer Hawes battled a bad ankle that contributed to the Huskies’ midseason slump that now makes them NCAA tournament long shots (16-9, 6-8 Pacific-10). But his 22-point outing Wednesday against Washington State, even in a losing cause, could give UW reason for optimism Saturday at No. 5 Pittsburgh as he takes on veteran Panthers big man Aaron Gray.

There are rumors that Hawes may go pro after one year.

According to an NBA Eastern Conference scout who has watched Hawes and several other former area high school standouts play in college, Hawes needs to think hard before he decides to leave Lorenzo Romar’s nest for the rigors of the NBA.

…

“He has very good hands, plays well in the open floor for a guy that’s 6-11,” the scout said. “He’s very comfortable with the ball, has a great touch around the basket, nice form with his shot. He is not going to be the quickest or most athletic guy.

“Some guys like Hawes and (Pitt’s) Aaron Gray, those guys were immediately looked at as lottery picks 15 years ago. (But) just because you’re big doesn’t give you that advantage. There are plenty of NBA teams who have won titles without a big center, and if this 6-9 guy is more athletic, they may take him.”

…

“He struggles against the more athletic, quicker big (men), and his rebounding skills are good but not great,” the scout said. “He’s gotta get stronger on his lower body. He’s not that imposing force defensively.”

That sounds good for Gray. As does this from a UDub beat writer:

…Pitt has struggled against teams with quick guards, which unfortunately doesn’t really define what the Huskies are right now.

Seth Davis at SI.com is going with Pitt since UW is only 1-7 in true road games and Pitt should (better) be pissed from the Louisville game. Not that Washington isn’t more than a little frustrated after losing at home to Washington State.

The Huskies fell to 6-8 in the Pac-10. They must finish at least 9-9 in the conference just to be considered for the NCAA tournament. They have five games remaining, four of them against Top 25 foes. They probably need to win four of those games.

They’ll be swimming with piranhas, hoping not to be snacked on, for the remainder of the season. The next carnivorous creature: No. 7 Pittsburgh, a physical, disciplined and defensive-minded foe that figures to be a terrible matchup, especially on the road.

The  last time they traveled east for a non-con game in February, was in 2004. They lost the game to NC State. It’s also the first time they will appear on the ESPN/ABC since Fall 2004.

To be honest, I’m not really as excited about tomorrow’s game as I was back in November and December. Maybe I forgot how important conference games were as opposed to the non-cons. Maybe I figured Washington would be ranked at this point. And after reading what one Huskies fan has to say, I think they might be under that same mindset.

Tomorrow’s game against Pitt is a good exposure game for the Huskies. The impact of that game on the Huskies post season hopes is minimal in my opinion. As long as the Huskies win 3 out of 4 Pac-10 games they will get into the tourney. Winning the game will be great for the RPI and win record, but losing will not affect anything. The Huskies have been hot as of late. If that trend continues then they shouldn’t be worried about an at large berth. The NCAA committee loves to use the last 10 as a gauge for at large berths.

I guess in their spot they don’t have a ton to lose and are more interested in the Oregon game next week.

Can UW’s freshman center, the 6′ 11″ 225 Spencer Hawes, stop Aaron Gray? Other than him they don’t seem to have anyone to match up on him size wise so the Hawes-Gray is probably going to be the key to the game.

And don’t be fooled, Gray is valuable when he’s on the court. Very interesting stuff from the Post-Gazette and Ken Pomeroy.

It is no surprise that Gray is by far Pitt’s most valuable player in terms of plus/minus and on/off rating.

Gray is a plus-19 in the on/off rating, which is calculated per 40 minutes. In the plus/minus ratings, Gray is a plus-312, or an average of 12.5, for the season. The next-closest player is Antonio Graves at 241 (9.6). Gray posted a negative rating in a game only twice this season — in losses to Louisville and Wisconsin.

According to the ratings, Pitt’s least valuable player is sophomore forward Sam Young.

Is this why Young isn’t seeing the kind of time that most would like to see him get? Probably not because I highly doubt Jamie Dixon looks at this kind of thing; or maybe he’s sitting in his office right now looking over those exact stats. Just maybe…

But coming off of a loss, a win is important for the simple fact that the team needs to shake off the bad thoughts. We were given plenty of time to think about Monday’s loss though.

Two practices, three days and four words from their coach — “playing for first place” — served as an ointment for the shell-shocked Panthers.

Pitt spent the past two days of practice and film study working on everything from breaking the press to defending Washington’s formidable inside tandem of sophomore power forward Jon Brockman (6-7, 260) and Hawes (7-0, 250).

First off, how about all of the Steelers fans out there take a moment and thank the scheduling gods that this game is not during an AFC Championship game that we happen to be playing in. Last year I missed the Pitt game to watch the Stillers. Luckily my choice is between Pitt-UL and the Texas-Oklahoma women’s game–a bit of an easier choice.

Next is an update on where former kicker David Abdul is at right now. The answer: kicking in an indoor football league. Commenter B.B. left the link to the Pittsburgh River Rats (who I didn’t know existed until about 15 minutes ago), and it’s good to see he’s in good shape after some health issues.

Now looking to a possible future Pitt Panther, Terrelle Pryor gets an article on SI.com which speaks of a comparison to NFL QB Vince Young. As Mondesi’s House mentions, though, Young was never a top football and basketball recruit.

Jeannette, Pa., quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been compared to Young because of his 6-foot-6, 220-pound frame, his ability to glide past players at top speed and his ability to simply dominate football games.

….

“I leave it up to people to make their own comparisons when they watch me play,” he said. “It’s a very nice comparison, but I haven’t done anything yet. I like to watch Vince Young and Troy Smith and the quarterbacks that can move around and do things, but I don’t compare myself to them.”

Pryor is so good he could be the next (and first) Terrelle Pryor. He still looks skinny on his 6-foot-6 frame, he’s getting faster and he’s learning how to play quarterback. The same raw athletic ability also comes out in basketball, where Pryor is ranked as a national top-25 player.

And finally, I leave you with how the Big East Tournament would look if the season ended right now, compliments of Card Chronicle.

The four teams directly behind us in the Big East standings (Marquette, Georgetown, WVU, and Louisville) are going to be gunning for us in the next few weeks in order to knock us off from the top of the standings.

If Pitt is going to win the Big East Conference regular-season championship for the second time in four seasons, the Panthers are going to have to travel the most difficult road of any other team in the conference.

No. 7 Pitt breezed through the first half of the conference schedule, with the only hiccup coming at home against Marquette. The Panthers have seven Big East games remaining, including five games against the four teams directly behind them in the Big East standings.

Every team we will play during the rest of the regular season (and don’t forget that non-con game against Washington) has a record of better than .500 and the team knows they are going to always be set up playing the top teams twice. Because of TV deals and Pitt’s great record over the past few years, we’re always going to be playing great teams and the Big East, even in a down year, is still an above average conference.

“It’s a fair trade,” Dixon said. “I really believe that. Our conference is built on television. One thing I like about our conference is we admit it. We’re very free to admit that. I think that’s why our conference has been the best conference over the years. Without question, the exposure has been great for our team, our program but most importantly our school.”

By the way, this is Rivalry Week for the WWL and the Pitt-West Virginia match up fits in nicely to that. With WVU graduating their entire team last year and a somewhat down year for them, ESPN has the game slotted on ESPN FullCourt which means FSN Pittsburgh for people in the ‘Burgh.

I’m still trying to make the judgment as to whether the Big East made the right call on releasing the schedules this week. Or should they have waited until after NLI Day on Wednesday. I realize some schools are now taking orders and send out renewals immediately. Still, for Pitt, at least it might have been a little better to wait until after signing day when there would be a more tangible sense of optimism to let the fans know what the schedule is.

Instead, it’s a bit of spin from AD Jeff Long.

“We understand that and we know that where we are in terms of televised appearances is reflective of how our season went and what expectations are of our team. At the same time, there are going to be other windows to negotiate to get certain games on television and so we anticipate things will change. Certainly the fact that we were picked to play West Virginia on championship Saturday speaks volumes about how we are perceived nationally.”

That unless Pitt is playing a team that has national recognition and achievement at the moment, there is little interest in Pitt outside of the fanbase?

On the positive side, they still haven’t raised ticket prices and seem genuinely desirous of getting as many bodies in the stands as possible.

Pitt is offering two new ticket promotions this season: “First and 10,” which provides fans the chance to buy one season ticket at full price and get a second for $10; and “7 in ’07,” which allows groups of four or more to reserve season tickets for a $77 deposit as part of a payment plan through August that allows for a minimum savings of $289.

Current season-ticket holders who renew online will receive a $10 discount. Single-game tickets, if available, won’t go on sale until August.

The WPIAL is happy about the way Pitt’s schedule looks. West Virginia high schools may not be so thrilled.

Arch rival Pitt has been moved back to the final game of the regular season.

The 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl will be played Dec. 1 in Morgantown.

It’s the latest date ever for a WVU-Pitt game and also conflicts with the Super Six high school football championships in Wheeling that weekend.

Amusing to note that the MAC had to redo two season openers with WVU and Pitt. Pitt was supposed to face Bowling Green, but they needed to be swapped out because they were overbooked. That’s why Pitt will face Eastern Michigan. Bowling Green will now be on the schedule in 2008.

WVU was supposed to start with Ball State, but they too were overbooked so the Mountaineers get Western Michigan.

Paul Zeise has another Q&A. My, linebacking seems bleak.

Q: Is there any reason to have hope given the Panthers’ situation at both defensive end and linebacker?

ZEISE: There is always hope — every one starts the season 0-0. I think you are correct, linebacker to me — not quarterback — is the biggest issue for this team. The Panthers need to do some serious reloading here and unless there are some athlete/running back types in this recruiting class headed for linebacker I’m not sure I see much help. You’d hope Tommie Campbell can take the next step as a player but the other positions are way up in the air. I think defensive end is going to be OK. It won’t obviously be like the Florida Gators defensive end situation, but it will be pretty good. I think between Doug Fulmer, Joe Clermond, Greg Romeus, Chris McKillop and, perhaps, a guy like Tommie Duhart, the position will be in good shape.

Don’t worry, Paul Rhoads will handle it. Ah, there’s a reason why the door in my home office has a well worn dent the size of my head.

Now as for the subject of getting season tickets this year. I’m renewing, as much to be able to gather with my friends as much as anything else. It’s really the only chance we get during a year to coordinate and meet at the same time given where we live, our schedules and family responsibilities.

I also understand why other don’t want to renew whether it’s the retention of Paul Rhoads — and the dedication to excuse making. Or if it’s simply not wanting to hear the excuses. The last two years it has been all Walt Harris’ fault for not leaving the cupboard well stocked. This year it will be youth.

2008 will be the end of excuses. No one will accept them at that point. Pitt’s football department from the AD to the coaches to the interns. They are putting everything to that year, so they better be right. My sense is 2007 is kind of a “hold on, until next year” sales job.

The Pitt schedule was released today. Specifically, the actual dates of the games were released.

The opponents — home and away were known for some time. So, I’m not particularly taken aback at the fact that the home schedule is weak and will not be one that excites walk-up ticket sales unless Pitt gets out to 5-0 start — it might take an 8-0 run.

It is interesting and a sign of how Pitt has definitely fallen from the interest of the media as they are presently slated with all Saturday games. Given the Big East football’s place on ESPN — for Wednesday, Friday and even Sunday night games — this is mildly disappointing. Not unexpected, unfortunately. Pitt has done little to justify marquee status.

Pitt may win the offseason recruiting rankings in the conference, but their performance hardy matches. They’re turning into the Washington Redskins it seems.

It will be interesting to see how many of the Pitt games even make it to televised — gameplan status. It is likely the road games will all be that way, but not many of the homegames look like they could make it.

I’m not going to do the liveblog tonight. There’s a ton of other b-ball and football I have to keep at least a little bit of attention to watch at the same time. I’ll be posting comments along the way in this post tonight.

8:10: Nice. Pitt off to a 7-0 start before A&M could get their first bucket. 13-5 Pitt, with 15:52 on the clock. Pitt has nailed 3-3 on 3s. The hardest thing in this game, may be keeping interest of the players.

8:28: Pitt now up 24-13. Six Pitt players have scored. Gray already has 7 rebounds in 9 minutes. Cook leads with 8 points. Ramon is only 1-4 shooting, missing a couple wide open 3s. 7 assists on 9 baskets.

8:44: Halftime. Pitt leads 37-26. Pitt is struggling to keep interest in this game. FAMU is not a good team. Cook has led in scoring with 13. Gray has 8 rebounds, but not a lot of touches as the zone FAMU runs keeps Pitt taking jumpers and outside shots. So Pitt has shot only 14-35 (40%) with 16 3-point shots (making 7). The eFG% was 50%. Best stat, though, 12 assists on the 14 baskets. That tells you how well Pitt is passing the ball.

9:15: Pitt up 47-26. The Rattlers are yet to score in the half, 15:18 left. It isn’t that Pitt is even trying at this point. FAMU is just no where near the same class. Jarvis is an idiot, complaining that Pitt isn’t moving the ball enough. 17 baskets, 15 assists. The “problem” is that Pitt hasn’t had to force anything because FAMU isn’t good.

9:18: Greene for FAMU was tossed, after clocking Sam Young somewhere around the head. The refs didn’t hesitate, there is some speculation that he had done something close to it earlier, and repeating it even harsher was enough to toss him.

The Rattlers seem like they are just pissed about being so outclassed. 50-30 with under 14 minutes left.

9:36: Pitt is just playing this out. The best you can say is that Gray has gotten a lot of rest in the second half. This is the time to give Gilbert Brown and a few others some real time. To go cliche, you just want to get this game ended without anyone getting hurt. The body language for FAMU is they just want to go — they’ve taken enough abuse in the non-con and are tired. I can’t say I blame them. Sanders and Jarvis talked about how Gillespe, the FAMU coach, raised over a million for the athletic department by scheduling guaranteed games like this over the last 7 years. That isn’t raising money. That’s just using the players they have as cannon fodder to build their funds. Send them out there to get the crap beaten out of them.

9:57: Jeff Rizik gets statistical relevance!! He gets his first basket a few seconds before the end of the game. The smiles on the bench makes it great.

It wasn’t an impressive win, despite cruising by 26, 77-51. The best thing you can say is no one got hurt. The team gets to celebrate the New Year and then everything gets real serious.

Big Day of college basketball today. In the Big East, the marquee game will be the first real game for WVU and UConn as they face off down in Morgantown (2pm ESPN2). I’m more than a little curious about how each team will react to a foe that is not there simply to cash a check.

That, of course, leads in perfectly to tonight’s game against Florida A&M (PDF). The bad news to me, Mike Jarvis will be providing the color commentary. Nothing like some hack, cheating, incompetent coach who doesn’t say anything bad about anyone because he wants back into coaching providing insights. John Sanders is okay. I here him often enough calling MAC football and Cleveland Indians games that he doesn’t bother me.

This is a game, even with the expected win, that will drop Pitt’s RPI.

Florida A&M lost to Florida by 15 points (72-57), but it lost to Illinois by 21 (84-63) and was hammered by Maryland (93-54), Bradley (107-75), Illinois-Chicago (75-57) and Miami (Ohio) (52-33).

The Rattlers, who have an RPI of 205, also eked out a 66-65 against North Florida (1-10) in their previous game. And three of their six victories were against non-Division I teams Warner Southern, Edward Waters and Albany, Ga., State. They also beat Savannah State and Bethune-Cookman, both of which are considered among the worst 10 programs in Division I.

In other words, Florida A&M appears to be the perfect opponent for a Top 10 team in need of an easy tuneup before conference play.

Uh, yeah. The team seems to be past the little nagging injuries. Naturally there are half-hearted attempts to build up the opponent.

“They’ve played a few teams real tough,” Gray said. “They have some good players. It’s going to be a good test. If you overlook one team, that’s when they make it a close game or even beat you.”

Said Young, “They seem like they shoot it well.”

That’s fine and okay with me to end the non-con with a patsy. Especially with the BE schedule about to kick in rather harshly — at Syracuse, USF (okay, that’s not the harsh part), at DePaul, Georgetown, UConn and Marquette. All in eighteen days. That DePaul to UConn stretch is a 6 day period. That’s going to be the brutal part since it’s at DePaul and you just don’t know which Blue Demon team will appear.